Solar Eclipse Facts

Eclipses

• Almost identical eclipses occur after 18 years and 11 days, known as the Saros Cycle.

What Is an Eclipse?

• An eclipse involves the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
• When they align, one object can be obscured from the viewer, known as an occultation.
• If the passing object is smaller, the third object is only partially hidden, known as a transit.

History of Eclipses

• In ancient times, people interpreted eclipses as a sign that the gods were angry, a bad omen.
• The word "eclipse" comes from the Latin "eclipsis" from the Greek "ekleipsis", meaning "to fail to appear" or "to leave".

Types of Eclipses

• There are two types of eclipses: solar and lunar eclipses.
• Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.
• Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.

Solar Eclipses

• In 2024, a total eclipse will be observed over the continental US, the eastern part of Canada, and Mexico.
• Totality will last for about 3 to 4 minutes depending on location.
• A partial solar eclipse will fall around the Pacific and other areas of South America.

Solar Eclipse Facts

• When the Moon completely blocks the Sun, it's called totality, which lasts around 7.5 minutes.
• As a result of the Moon and Earth's movements, totality doesn't last long.
• Solar eclipses cause strange changes around us, such as temperature drops, breeze disappearance, and shadows appearing different.
• They affect animals in strange ways, causing them to behave as if it's nighttime.

Types of Solar Eclipses

• There are four types of solar eclipses: partial, total, annular, and hybrid.
• Partial solar eclipses occur most frequently (35%).
• Annular and total solar eclipses have a 33% and 27% chance of happening, respectively.
• Hybrid solar eclipses are rare, occurring only 5% of the time.

Hybrid Solar Eclipses

• Hybrid solar eclipses are rare, occurring only 7 times in the 21st century.
• They are so rare that only 7 eclipses of this type occur in this century.

Total Solar Eclipse

• A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon's dark silhouette completely covers the Sun's bright light.
• It occurs in places where the umbral shadow is cast, known as the path of totality.
• The path of totality moves across the planet at around 2,253 km per hour (1,400 mi per hour).

Annular Solar Eclipse

• An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon and Sun are exactly in line, but the Moon appears smaller than the Sun.
• This happens when the Moon is further from Earth or the Earth is closer to the Sun.